In the past, I have utilized the Yelp app to review different restaurants, bars, parks, museums, etc. By doing so, this helps businesses and individuals see real life reviews from locals or travelers who visit or have purchased services that become helpful to the public. Before Yelp, reviews were only available on company websites in regards to a particular product or service; this makes it harder to believe since websites only post the positive reviews of products and services for marketing purposes. Yelp is not the only app that shows positive and negative reviews, there is a sense of community with your followers and recommendations on social media platforms.
Facebook has become my go to source for any local creators to collaborate with, finding the best tacos in town, searching for the best hikes, looking for a mechanic, etc. The resourceful feature like Marketplace is used a resource for selling and buying products, and following that up with reviews. When you are searching for recommendations, Facebook has a post template that notifies your followers with exactly what you are looking for. Helpful followers make this happen by commenting their experiences and knowledge about a product or service you are asking about. This is a satisfying feeling to know that people you know have used or tried something in particular you are looking for.
When leaving a comment on a product and service I try to be as forward and respectful as possible. Keeping it that way can be challenging if the experience was just horrible but being respectful gets your point across professionally and helps other potential consumers get clarification of any issues on a specific service and/or product. For the most part, I rarely leave a negative comment on a product/service because I use Yelp and Google to identify pros and cons of products/ services of a company before purchasing. I personally suggest that a lot of people should do the same to avoid any problems and concerns when shopping around for a product and service.
As a owner of a small business we received both negative and positive comments for our products and services; mostly good ones (thank God). Like I stated in my previous statement about leaving reviews on products and services, everything needs to stay as professional as possible. Although you can run into difficult customers, it is always key to be respectful, listen and understand their issues and follow that up with a positive note (discounts, comps, etc.). An example would be an arrangement I prepared for a client who wanted last minute changes after supplies were bought and them not fully understanding the availability of seasonal products. What happened in response to her complaint was a discounted future purchase and delivery fee waived on her current and future order. This helps a customer understand that we care about them and would love to continue doing business with them, with no issues.
Customer engagement is big for many reasons but communication is the most important. Consumers have the right to write personal experiences of a product and service, negative or positive, that are helpful for future consumers to base purchase on and beneficial for businesses to understand what works and does not. I hope my answers helped in understanding my point of view on business and consumer communication and you enjoyed reading it.
Thank you.
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